On any regular Saturday night, Soba in Shadyside has a full reservation book and a crowded bar and lounge. But last Saturday, the dining room was dark and the lounge was empty.

With almost two feet of snow on the ground, bus routes canceled and roads unsafe, Soba, along with many other restaurants, was forced to close because its employees simply couldn't get to work.

Pittsburgh restaurants, cafes and other food shops are used to the weather affecting demand, but heavy snow, power outages, closed universities and dangerous road conditions have taken a heavy toll on businesses that already depend on very thin profit margins.

Cafe Georgio in Bethel Park usually takes advantage of snow flurries to send a "snow special" coupon to customers signed up for its e-mail newsletter. Cafe Georgio often does good business during bad weather, said sous chef Vince Piconi, but when it lost power on Saturday, it had to close.

Typhoon in Shadyside was open, but business was far beneath its usual level. Even walkers had a hard time getting in, said owner Michael Johnson, because "they haven't done a very good job on the roads over here."

David Feldstein, owner of the Bagel Factory on Ellsworth Avenue, also was frustrated by the state of Shadyside roads. While he got a fair amount of walk-in business on Saturday ("People were amazed we were open," said Mr. Feldstein), abandoned cars blocked their cargo vans, and they were prevented from delivering thousands of dollars worth of bagels and pastries to the casino, local universities, the airport and other clients.

By Tuesday morning, Mr. Feldstein received a number of calls reducing orders for Wednesday.

Elaine Bellin, owner of Paragon Foods, a wholesaler that supplies restaurants, health care facilities and the majority of Western Pennsylvania colleges and universities, rescheduled all Wednesday deliveries for Tuesday or Thursday in an attempt to avoid the brunt of the Tuesday-Wednesday storm.

Ms. Bellin has heard a lot of bad news from her clients and others in the restaurant industry. "So many people had reservations on Friday and they canceled," she said, "Restaurant business is down considerably."

On Tuesday she was concerned about continued effects, even through Valentine's Day weekend, saying, "If the snow continues to weigh more heavily on a lot of these trees, and we suffer power outages, we may be in for another set of circumstances."

While the storm prevented many people from making planned outings, restaurants and other businesses that managed to open saw brisk business, mostly from people who lived within walking distance.

At the Square Cafe in Regent Square, owner Sherree Goldstein and back-of-house manager Donna Fey drove to pick up a number of employees.

They were about as busy as they would normally be on a Saturday, with many people stopping in for coffee or a latte, in addition to those eating breakfast and lunch.

Pittsburgh coffeehouses generally fared better than restaurants, partly because of smaller staffs, fewer deliveries and hours and locations more conducive to walk-in traffic.

Coffee Tree was one of very few businesses open on Walnut Street in Shadyside on Saturday.

Store manager Sasha Zakin explained that a number of employees live within walking distance, and while the store was busier than she'd expected, it still closed early, at 10 p.m. instead of midnight, so that staff could get home safely.

Aldo Coffee in Mt. Lebanon and Voluto in Garfield tweeted throughout the weekend, informing customers that they were open and unexpectedly busy.

Meanwhile, Tazza D'Oro in Highland Park used its blog to update customers that it was closed, then open, then closed again due to lost power.

A number of restaurants also used social media to communicate with customers.

Gypsy Cafe on the South Side used its Facebook page and Twitter stream to report closing on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday, while Legume Bistro in Regent Square used the same media to assure diners it would be open, albeit with limited hours on Tuesday night, and then to announce it would be closed on Wednesday.

Erin Stern, owner of Cornerstone Bistro in Aspinwall, sent out an e-mail to subscribers Saturday afternoon that read, "Our bar will be opening around 4 p.m. and our kitchen shortly after that. Come celebrate the snow with us! Cheer on Pitt at 6 p.m. with $5 appetizers and $2 Yuengling drafts.

"As always, our kitchen will be serving up some of your favorites such as the Pancetta Mac & Cheese, Lamb Burgers and more!"

For some people who were unprepared for the seriousness of Saturday's storm, or who lost power at home, an open restaurant or cafe was a tremendous relief.

Cioppino in the Strip District planned to close on Saturday night. Few staff members could get there and the restaurant was very low on supplies. But when four staff members, who had been stuck at the restaurant overnight, were beset with requests to open from their hungry neighbors at the nearby Cork Factory loft apartments, they decided to serve a limited menu.

It was both "a big party," and "a moment of desperation among the Cork Factory residents who had no food," said Kitty Hillman, one of those Cork Factory residents.

"Two guys served everybody in the bar," and people were "sharing french fries, sharing cheeseburgers. ... Pizzas would appear, more cheeseburgers would appear, it was just kind of a free for all."

Although it was clear the staff members were "absolutely exhausted," Ms. Hillman was impressed by their determination to get everyone fed. "It was really a very fun and refreshing evening out," she said.

Still, it was no typical Saturday for Cioppino, which did about $3,000 of business, compared to its usual $10,000 to $13,000, said general manger Ray Tornis.

Cioppino, like other Downtown and Strip District restaurants, is still feeling the negative effect of the G-20 summit last September.

"We did [no business]," said Mr. Tornis, "With that and these storms coming through it's just crippling."

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